By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
In a recent post-budget analysis, Hon. Caston Matewu, the legislator for Marondera Central, expressed significant concern over the 2025 budget allocation for the Ministry of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, which indirectly received zero funding for digitisation efforts.
The allocated funds are instead earmarked to cover a debt owed to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
This revelation comes amidst urgent calls for advancements in the digitisation of the country’s broadcasting services, a pressing issue both locally and in the region.
During a session in Parliament, Matewu articulated that, the budget allocated $30 million Zimbabwean dollars to Transmedia, an amount that Matewu criticized as insufficient, noting that it is primarily earmarked to pay down a $1 million USD debt incurred in 2015 when the country had initially aimed to implement its digitization project.
This debt, which matures in 2025, significantly drains the funds available for current digital modernisation efforts.
“That means we have zero money for digitisation in the budget that was given to the ministry of information,” he lamented.
Matewu highlighted that, currently, Zimbabwe remains the only country in Southern Africa that has yet to fully transition to digital broadcasting.
“At the moment, our TV coverage is around 38%. We are 10 years behind the International Telecommunication Union’s deadline of 2015 for full digitisation. We are now at risk of being shutdown by the International Telecommunication Union,” he warned.
As the budget discussions continue, Matewu and other advocates for digitisation are urging the government to reconsider its fiscal strategies to not only address immediate debts but to also invest in long-term solutions that will benefit the country’s media infrastructure and its citizens.